UK ready and willing for biometric fingerprinting

The increasing threat of ID theft has persuaded worried Brits that biometric technology such as fingerprint and iris recognition is the way forward.

More than half (56 per cent) of Britons are now willing to give their biometric data to retailers and financial institutions to prove their identity, according to new research from Unisys.

Nearly everyone (95 per cent) was willing to give their fingerprints, while 90 per cent would use iris recognition.

This is quite a big change from the same survey last year, which showed that only three quarters of those polled were willing to use such biometrics.

People also showed more faith in biometric technology than they did in governments or banking institutions.

Nearly three quarters (73 per cent) didn't trust the government with the use of their personal data, while 63 per cent had no faith in banking institutions to keep data safe.